Nerves
by Avidreader1993
Summary: Lara is a nervous wreck...she is taking a big step in her life but first she has to get the approval of a very well known and powerful business man and then she actually has to get the answer "yes" in order to take that step forward. Can she get what she needs or will her nerves get the best of her? This is for a request and will be more than one chapter. Set in future...
1. Chapter 1

This is for a request from The Sacred and Profane. I hope you like it; this is only the first chapter I will have a second one soon; probably after i post the next chapter of the Hidden Journal but I hope this is good enough for now.

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My nerves were on ends and I could feel sweat forming on my palms and my forehead; never before had I been so nervous to be here but today all I wanted to do was run away. I stared at the mahogany double doors and waited for it to swing open; the home owner knew I was coming since I called him once my plane landed. He sounded surprised but didn't ask any question which I am thankful for because I don't think I would have been able to keep my nerves.

The door swung open and revealed a very well dressed man in a black suit with a navy blue tie and silver cuff links. "Lara…"

I stared at the man who has known me for over ten years; the man who has supported every expedition that I have gone on and has sponsored each and every one of them and the same man who also happened to be the father of my girlfriend of 8 years.

"Mr. Nishimura," I greeted. "Come on in," he said as he moved to the side and held the door open for me. I walked passed him and waited for him to shut the door before following him into his office on the second floor. The house wasn't the house that he owned when I first started dating Sam; this one was much smaller and much fit for a single man.

Man…it was still shocking when Sam's parents got divorced; not a bad shocking don't get me wrong I disliked Sam's mother with a passion but I never would have thought that Mr. Nishimura would get a divorce. But one day Sam got a call from her father saying that he was leaving her mother and would understand if she was upset with him but Sam was the complete opposite; she was happy that her father was leaving her.

That was three years ago and honestly it had brought Sam closer to her father; he has made amends with her and tries every few days to call her even if it's only for a moment. Recently Sam told me that her father was starting to date; watching the man in front of me I couldn't help but noticed that he was actually a very nice looking man for someone in his fifties. He was still very fit, his biceps were noticeable through his white dress shirt, he had short black hair that was just starting to get a touch of grey and when he actually did, his smile was also very nice.

"So Lara…what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked as he walked around his desk to sit in his office chair. I took a seat in one of the chairs that was across from him. "Sam didn't do anything…"Sam like"…did she?" he asked; cracking a smile. I chuckled at his joke but felt my throat close up once again.

"No…she hasn't done anything…yet," I replied. I tried to relax in my seat but I couldn't get comfortable. Mr. Nishimura watched me with his piercing brown eyes, the same eyes that Sam has; I could see him going through the motions of why I would suddenly call him and ask to speak to him in person about something important. "Lara?" he asked.

My hands were shaking and sitting still was making me antsy so I stood up and began pacing back and forth. "I…I have something important I want to discuss with you," I told him. He nodded his head, "I figured that much," he said.

"It has to do with Sam…" I trialed off. I watched his expression go from amused to serious; that made me more of a nervous wreck. I knew he was very protective of her and wanted nothing but the best for her.

"Okay…what about her?" he leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on the desk. Right now he looked kind of intimidating; no wonder he was such a great business man; he had the right look for it.

I stopped pacing and stood in front of his desk, "I know that most people don't do this anymore but I felt it was right. I want…I want your approval to…" I took a deep breath and reached into my pocket and grabbed onto the object that would change my life. I pulled it out and placed it on his desk with its small top opened revealing the life changing object sitting snug inside.

"I want your approval to marry your daughter?" I finally blurted out.

I could hear my heart pounding in my ear as I watched his expression alter from surprise to unreadable. He just stared at the ring; it was an 18 karat white gold band that was lined with small diamonds that surrounded the 1 carat diamond in the middle and also lined the ring's shank. The total diamond weight was 1-1/4 carat.

The ring was one that I had caught Sam staring at when we were walking around London on its rare sunny days. She didn't think I saw her looking but I did; I just kept my mouth shut about it. The next day I went to the same jewelry shop and found the ring she was looking at; of course it was the most expensive one but that's beside the point and not all that shocking since this is Sam we're talking about. I gave the jeweler all her measurements and the little details I wanted added to it and within a few days he had it ready; the only problem was…I wasn't ready.

I'm ready to marry her…bloody hell I've been ready for the next step since a month after we started dating but once again…I let my head get a head of me…no pun intended. I let my mind overthink…which doesn't always end well for me and here we are 8 years later.

"Sam picked out the ring?" Mr. Nishimura asked; I jumped at his voice since it had been silent for a good five minutes.

"Um…sort of. I saw her looking at it or looking in that direction and I kind of assumed this is the one she was eyeing. But it's the only one I deemed perfect enough for her…" I explained. Sam's father glanced up from the ring to look at me; I felt the heat under his eyes; I could feel him sizing me up. I've faced dangerous men in my life time well after Yamatai but for some reason I felt the fear in this moment waiting for this business man in front of me to make his next move.

Mr. Nishimura stood up and I couldn't help but want to take a step back but didn't think that would leave a good impression. He walked around his desk to stand in front of me; he reached back over to his desk to grab the ring in his large hand. In the process he shut the box holding it hostage in his left hand while still continuing to eye me.

"If you told me when my daughter was born that her girlfriend former best friend would in 29 years be standing in front of me asking for her hand I would have laughed in your face. The first thought in my head would have been that my daughter wasn't going to be gay and the second thought would have been that there is no way that, even if my daughter was gay, that there would be a female worthy, good or strong enough for my daughter but here we are. I have you standing here asking me for the hand of my gay daughter; you the female that I think is the only one that will ever be worthy, good and strong enough for Sam," Mr. Nishimura confessed. I could feel the tears starting to form but I was trying to do everything I could to not to let them fall. "I felt bad for sending Sam to the boarding school but soon that guilt disappeared when she started to talk about you; I was happy to know that my daughter had met a friend that was the compete opposite and was keeping her out of trouble. I know that I wasn't a part of her life much once she started boarding school or even before then but I wasn't worried because I knew she had you. For some reason I had the confidence that you would always keep my little girl safe and Lara…you have proved me right in more ways than one and in so many ways."

He took a step closer to me and placed his free hand on my shoulder, "Breathe…," he urged me. I let out a shaky breath that I wasn't aware I was even holding. "You didn't even need to ask…but I am greatly honored that you did but you didn't need to ask because the answer was yes the moment I saw your panic and nervous state at my front door," Mr. Nishimura said. I blinked a few times to take in his words…he…he said yes…bloody hell he said yes…

He took his hand off my shoulder and held it out to me; I stared at the offering hand and took a deep breath before sealing the promise I knew I was making him by slipping my hand in his and giving it a firm shake. "Congratulation," he said as he handed me back the ring. "Thank you," I replied and slipped the ring back into my pocket.

He let go of my hand and walked over to one of his cabinets; I stayed put…I still couldn't believe that he said yes…it was a lot easier than I predicated. And the things he said…I never knew he thought of me that way; he just seemed so serious; I never really gave a mind to the fact that he was actually paying attention. But I wasn't about to let him down now, now that I know he is paying attention, I am going to give Sam everything I have and do everything in my power to protect her and make her happy; that is my promise to him, myself…and Sam.

"Scotch?" I looked over and saw him holding up a glass that was only filled about an inch from the bottom with the dark strong liquor.

"Yes please…" I said, I felt my nerves begin to fade away as I took the offered glass and took a small sip of the much needed alcohol. Mr. Nishimura chuckled as he watched me; he nodded his head in the direction out of the office. I followed him out to the balcony and took a seat in one of the lounge chairs next to the one he had occupied.

"You knew when you opened the door? That I was going to ask for your approval?" I asked; his words were still catching up to me.

Mr. Nishimura let out a genuine laugh and looked over at me, "Lara…you were shaking and I could see sweat on your forehead. You've been up against some crazy things yet you looked more scared standing outside my house than you did on Sam's footage of you taking down several men with guns pointed at you. Also it was only a matter of time before you came to me asking for approval or Sam announcing that you eloped suddenly," he pointed out. I smiled at the thought of Sam announcing us eloping to her dad…that would have been funny.

"Thank you, Mr. Nishimura," I said once again so he knew how deeply grateful I was for his words and approval.

"Lara…I think it's about time that you got on a first name bases with me," he started, "please…call me Toru."

I smiled at him, "Very well…thank you…Toru. I feel like I can breathe now," I confessed. Toru gave me a smirk and took a sip of his scotch, "Don't breathe yet…my daughter has yet to say yes," he said before standing up and heading back into the house.

I felt my throat once again close up and the once light ring now felt like a thousand pounds weighting down my pants. I brought my glass to my mouth and finished of the scotch in one large gulp,

"Shit."

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The proposal will be the next chapter but i hope you enjoyed this for now. Review...


	2. Chapter 2

"I really need you to take a seat…you're starting to wear down the wood on the floor with your continuous pacing," the well dressed and mannered butler pointed out to me. I stopped pacing and looked up to glare at him; he wasn't helping me at all.

"Winston…I seriously don't know what to do here…" I pleaded. I had come to the manor that I had grown accustom to avoiding so that I could get some help from the now useless butler.

"I think taking a seat and giving the floor a break is a start, Ms. Croft," Winston stated. He was standing with straight posture in the door frame leading from the library into my father's office. I sighed at the older man before plopping down in my father's large office chair. I honestly think sitting made the situation worse since now I was forced to acknowledge the object of my obsession sitting open on top of my father's desk. The light shining through the open window was hitting the diamonds and causing a bright light to reflect into my eyes. I growled at the object, reached out and shut the little box that was mocking me.

"Glaring at it will not help you any," I heard my trustworthy butler say to me. "Well its doing more for me than you are," I spit back and continued to stare. I heard Winston chuckle before he turned and walked out into the library. I panicked; I really need his help so I grabbed the box and rushed after him almost tripping over my own feet in the process.

When I caught up to him he was almost to the kitchen, "Winston please…" I practically begged. He simply ignored me as he proceeded into the kitchen and put the kettle on. Not knowing what else to do I just took a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. I felt the weight of the box and couldn't help but remember my trip to California; I'd give anything to just go back and be in that moment. Thinking back now, the trip to California was bloody easier than what I'm going through now.

"What are some ideas that have popped up?" Winston asked snapping me out of my self-pitying thoughts.

"Well…a dinner at a restaurant but it's to cliché. I don't want cliché…I want…"

"Unforgettable…" Winston offered. "Yeah…yeah unforgettable," I repeated.

"You're going to need unforgettable to get her to say yes to a nervous wreck like you," he muttered under his breath but I heard every word.

"HEY!" I shouted. But he was right…if I thought I was a nervous wreck in California then I must be bordering psychotic by now.

Winston shook his head at my outburst and moved to turn off the now screaming kettle. He then poured the water into a mug and prepared it with sugar and milk before handing it to me across the island. Once everything was off he took a seat across from me and folded his hands in front of him.

"I remember when your father proposed to your mother…he too was a nervous wreck but unlike you he had a bit more of a grip," Winston started. I immaturely stuck my tongue out at him. "He didn't have a big proposal…in fact, his proposal was quite simple. It was simple but had a lot more thought and effort into it than say a simple dinner."

I was a bit intrigued; I had never heard the story of how her father had proposed to her mother…I never got a chance to ask.

"What did he do?"

"He buried notes and the ring out in the garden…"Winston answered.

"What?" I chuckled…I thought Winston was joking.

"He did…I believe there were a total of 10 note that had poems and little quotes written on them. Your mother loved to garden; she loved planting flowers and every year when the season came around she would weed out the old flowers and plant new ones. So one year your father hid the notes where he knew she was going to plant; he dug them deep enough so that she wouldn't be suspicious and in the row in which she planted her flowers. It was a mild sunny day when your mother discovered the notes; the more she dug down the row the more notes she found and then finally at the end of the garden she dug up the ring. It was then that your father made his way to her and got down on one knee," Winston told me. I couldn't help but smile…it was so…simple.

"If I may Lady Croft…you should stop fretting and think about what it is that makes Ms. Nishimura happy," Winston offered. I cupped the hot mug while I thought about the story Winston told me; it was so easy but romantic at the same time. What could I do for Sam that would express what I feel for her?

It wasn't long before I felt the grin forming on my face; I looked up at Winston and saw the amused expression on his. I got up and ran around the table to hug the old man, " thank you," I whispered to him, "I'll be back shortly," with that I took off with only one thought in my head…Please make it so Sam isn't home.

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Luck was on my side and Sam wasn't home…normally it would be fine that she was except for one…no…two little facts. One, she didn't know I was even back in London and two; she would defiantly get suspicious if she saw what I was looking for. Once I grabbed what I needed I rushed back to the Manor and put everything into my father's office before going back downstairs to find Winston.

"I need you to find out when Sam will be home…" I said breathlessly when I found him, since I had to run around the whole house looking for him.

"Okay," he answered.

"Thanks," I yelled as I made my way back to my father's office. I shut the door of the office, took a seat in the chair and booted up my laptop.

"Please…bloody hell please remember what Sam showed you," I muttered to myself as I popped in the first C.D of many into the laptop.

"Ms. Croft?" I heard the gently voice. I looked up from my laptop to see Winston standing in the doorway. "Ms. Nishimura will be home at 8…she is at work finishing up her latest project," Winston informed me. I glanced at the clock in the right corner of my laptop and saw that I had two and a half hours to spare. Taking a deep breath I prepared myself for the finally part of my plan; I hit a key on my laptop and watched the little red light appear right next to my webcam.

"Bloody hell…I hope this goes well or else I might just crawl into a hole and die…" I proceeded to say into the camera.

By the time I finished everything I had twenty minutes to take a shower and hide in a spot that Sam wouldn't look into but I could see her at the same time. I looked around the room and checked to make sure everything was ready before hoping into the shower.

The feel of the warm water helped soothe my nerves just a little but once I turn off the warm flow I felt myself become on edge again. God…this needed to go well. I went into our joined closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and my old university sweatshirt that Sam loved so much. While I was at the manor I fretted about what to wear but then I remembered Sam telling me that she preferred me wearing clothes that I was most comfortable in. She said that even though she loved dressing me up sexy she found me most sexy when I was wearing my type of clothes.

I pulled my hair back in its usual messy ponytail with loose hair straying into my face before checking myself in the mirror. Once I was satisfied I grabbed the box that was sitting on the bed and tucked it into my sweatshirt pocket. I took a deep breath and walked into the sitting room; everything was set up. The T.V. was on and had the pause symbol floating in the top left corner. My laptop was connected to the T.V. waiting for Sam to hit play. The rest of the living room was dark but lit with a dozen candles and I had bought a dozen white roses, since they were Sam's favorite, and spread them along the floor towards the sitting room and to the laptop.

"Breathe…Breathe," I repeated to myself. I took one last look at the clock and saw that I really needed to hide since I only had 10 minutes. The best place for the best view but was still hidden from Sam was the pantry closet. I knew I would be safe there since Sam hardly cooked and when she did handle food it was usually take out. I scanned the room and then made my way to the pantry and settled myself in. Shutting the door I was still able to see the back of the couch and had a great view of the T.V. through the slots in the door.

After waiting for what felt like 15 minutes I decided to look take a peek at my phone to see the actual time; it was 8:07. It wasn't a surprise that Sam was late; I don't think she could ever make it to something on time even if she had all the time in the world to get there. It was while I was thinking that thought that I noticed that I really had to pee; I was just figuring whether or not I should attempt to make a run to the bathroom when I heard the bolt to our front door slide across the frame. Sam was finally home.

Shit….here we go…please don't fuck up…please. My heart was beating a so fast that I felt I was going to have a heart attack. The weight in my pocket became so much more noticeable and the closet felt like a sauna.

I could hear Sam's sweet voice talking to someone as she opened the front door. "Yes…I know. The project is going smoothly and should be done ahead of schedule. It's not a problem. Yes…I'll just have to run it pass the client. No, it won't be a big deal…I just have-"

I heard Sam's voice halt; she had noticed the flowers. "Dad…I…I have to go," Sam stuttered a bit. Sam stuttered…that means she is certainly surprised. "Lara?" I heard her call out. I could hear her coming closer and soon enough I saw her in my line of vision; she was walking towards the T.V. I so badly wanted to burst out and just hold her; I hadn't seen her in a week and bloody hell I missed her.

She certainly hadn't changed much; she still looked like she was 22 and not pushing 30. Her hair was slightly longer, just hitting her shoulders, but was still angled to frame her face. Her face was still its smooth self and didn't have a single blemish on it. Her body though…god I felt myself heat up just thinking about what was under those skinny jeans and tight blouse. She was still thin but had built a little muscle, not as much as me, but still a noticeable amount. She defiantly had it in the legs and thighs due to all the running she was now doing. I can honestly say that my favorite part of her body was her legs; I couldn't get enough of them.

I continued to watch her move to the laptop and hit the space bar to start the video. My face appeared on the screen. "Alright…now just bear with me. I didn't have a lot of time to do this so just bear with it. You can tell me all the mistakes I made when it's finished," I heard myself say on the screen. Sam looked a little confused but took a seat on the coffee table in front of the T.V.

The screen went blank before another image appeared. It was a much younger version of me and Sam from boarding school. It was actually just me since Sam was holding the camera; it was when we first met. I saw Sam smile at the screen as the memory replayed itself in front of her.

That is what she watched for the next thirty minutes, memories. Memories of our time together as friends, family and lovers. There were clips of boarding school, college, Yamatai, after Yamatai, family events with her father and finally the last video clip was one I made a few days before I flew to California. The camera was a little shaky since I was trying to get the bedside lamp. Once the light was one the camera steadied and Sam came into view; she was asleep on her stomach with her breasts pressed into the mattress and the sheets covering from her waist down; everything else was bare skin. The camera focused on her and before long you could hear my voice. "Man I really feel like Sam now…I can understand her urge to film…this is just a perfect moment too. Even though I know she hates being in the shot, I just couldn't resist. Fuck…I can never resist…I mean can you really blame me, look at her. And to think I spent several years keeping my hands off this body; I honestly don't know how I did it. But I don't have to now…and I don't plan on ever giving up that right," I heard myself say. The camera was still pointed at Sam but it began to shift around until my face came into view. "If anyone ever see this which I doubt they will I just want you to know that if you think of hurting her or trying to do some funny shit then think twice cause there is no way you're getting her under my watch," I threaten into the camera.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that clip; I had been slightly intoxicated when I filmed it but I meant every word. I glanced at Sam and saw that she covering her mouth to hide her giggling. The screen went blank for a second before I once again appeared. I was in the same position as I was in the very first scene that was played. This is what I had recorded at my fathers.

"Bloody hell…I hope this goes well or else I might just crawl into a hole and die…" I began. I saw myself rub my temples before looking up and staring right into the camera. "The clips you saw are my top memories of us…I have millions more but those one are extra special. Man…I'm shaking so badly." My nervous wreak self on the screen took a deep breath and grabbed for a glass of water that was out of the shot before continuing.

"From day one you captured my attention; there is no doubt about that. I was so fascinated by you and the free spirited nature you had that I couldn't stay away even though we were so polar opposites. So many people told us that we didn't make sense because of our conflicting personalities but in fact we did make sense. We are two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together and the thing about puzzle pieces is that two same pieces can't fit together. Bloody hell…that was corny…wow I can't believe I just said that," I muttered at the camera. Sam giggled at my comment; I noticed that she was also wiping her cheeks.

"God…Sam it may have been corny but it's true. I can't imagine my life without you and I can't imagine my future without you. I am amazed that for so long I kept my feelings hidden from you when I can barely contain them now…I…Fuck. I know that I'm not easy to put up with but you are the only person that understands me and my need to bury myself in work or obsess over certain things. You know just the right things to do to remind me that there is a reality outside of searching for an artifact or a lost city. You make my world spin and Sam…if you ever asked me to give it all up…the traveling, the searching, the expeditions…I would…without hesitation. I want you to know that…I know that you never will but if you ever needed to I want you to know that I would give it up for you. You're my family…my world and I never want to lose you. I love you Sam."

I had already opened the closet door and slowly made my way to the now openly crying girl as the last of my recorded speech came to an end leaving a blank screen. "Sam…" I whispered when I got close to her. She jumped a little but quickly turned around to face me in which during that time I moved down to one knee and pulled out the shiny ring.

Sam's breath caught in her throat as more tears flowed from her eyes. He hands were covering her mouth as she watched me; I think she was in shock. "Sam…babe…will you…will you marry me?" I asked. Before I knew it my back made impact with the floor and I had a weight on my chest and arms squeezing my neck. I instantly wrapped my arms around Sam's waist and hugged her tight to my body. I could feel her tears running into my neck and soaking into the collar of my sweatshirt.

She still hadn't given me an answer thought and I knew my heart wouldn't calm down until I heard the words I so craved. I pulled her back slightly so that I could see her face; she was now straddling my abdomen since I was still pinned to the floor. "And that means…?" I asked hesitantly. Sam giggled and ran her finger down my cheek, "Lara you didn't even need to ask…my answer was always going to be yes," Sam muttered. I smiled and sat up quickly to attach my lips to her soft fluffy ones and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

We were both breathless when we broke the kiss; I rested my forehead against her, "I love you," I whispered to her. "I love you too," she replied. I looked down between us and moved my hand to grab her left one. I pulled the ring out of its confined spot in the box and slowly slipped in onto her ring finger; it was a perfect fit.

Sam gasped at the ring; she was finally getting a good look at it. "Lara…it's beautiful," she said. She held up her hand and stared at the ring while I stared at her. "It has nothing on you babe," I whispered into her ear. Sam tore her eyes away from the ring and locked them onto mine, "Sam Croft…I like the way that sounds," she said.

"I do too," I growled. I wanted her to take my last name but was unsure if she wanted to but hearing her say her name with my last name attached was totally sexy.

"But…before we make any wedding plans…" Sam started to say. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and put on her attempt at a serious face, "we are buying a house or… moving into one of the manors. No offense sweetie but I'm sick of this apartment," she informed. I gave her a pout; this place had so many memories.

"Oh…don't give me that. Between the both of us we could easily by this whole apartment complex and keep the place but sweetie an apartment is no place raise children and is much too small," Sam explained. I was beginning to smile when a key word hit me, children. My eyes went wide and I went still. Children…what…shit…that comes next?

I was pulled from my panicked thoughts by Sam's laughter, "Sweetie your expression was priceless," Sam said once she was finished laughing at my expense. "We can hold off on children but I do want a house," she said. I nodded at her and moved my lips to place kisses along her neck and exposed shoulder; I had already begun to unbutton her blouse.

"Now…about your video," she began. I smiled into her skin and slipped her shirt off her shoulder, "it was great for someone that never made one like that but you really need-" Sam's comment was cut off by her own gasp when I cupped her breast through her pink laced bra. I felt her hand slip under my shirt and caress the skin on my back; I felt all the nerves in my body disappear. She could go into the logics of the video later…right now I wanted to please and make love to my fiancé…my soon wife to be.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this. I am working on The Hidden Journal. My cousin got hold of my computer and managed to crash it which meant a lot of my work was lost meaning i had to start over. Thank god for the fact that i wrote a lot of my plot planning in my journal.


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